Homeware items have been available from Marks & Spencer since the Company was founded.

In our Penny Bazaar shops, items such as stair rods, brushes and candles were available at 1d.

By 1926, the list of departments included: Household Goods, Glass, China & Earthenware, Cutlery, Household Goods, Hardware and Tin & Enamelware. Quite a range!

There was continued demand throughout the 1930s for household goods, as more new homes were built.

Typical promotions during this period  were the opening week at Marble Arch store in 1930 which advertised ‘Tin kettles, price 6d’ and displays for ‘National Aluminium Week’ in 1932.

The range of homeware declined during the war as raw materials were in short supply.

Homeware re-appeared in the late 1960s in the form of towels and woven bedspreads.

In 1969 we were selling nylon fitted sheets, pillowcases, blankets, nylon bedspreads, cotton and Terylene sheets, towels and nylon rugs.

The Home Furnishings department was formed in 1970 offering a wider range of towels, as well as the first bedding sets with matching sheets, pillowcases and throws.

In 1971 ‘the emphasis on St Michael household textiles’ was ‘quite definitely colour’. The goods available included towels, rugs, sheets, bedspreads and throwovers.

By 1972 ‘Marks and Spencer’s fabulous range of household textiles’ was ‘growing all the time’.

We launched our custom-made curtain service.

Our range of coordinating items for the whole house expanded through the 1970 and 80s.

In 1985, the first Home Furnishings catalogue was published, introducing coordinating ranges of bedding, curtains and table lamps and tableware.

Ranges included Edwardian Lady and Harvest.

The St Michael Furniture Collection was introduced, offering seven new ranges to ‘furnish every room in the house – and even the garden’.

Net curtains became available to buy at M&S for the first time. We also introduced a new range of cookware items that were microwave safe.

The St Michael Nursery range was launched in May 1986. The coordinating range in grey and burgundy stripes included a rocker chair, a white wooden cot and a highchair that converted into a table and chair.

We sold kitchen electrical goods for the first time in 1989.

There were three products available – an automatic kettle, cordless jug kettle and toaster in Harvest and Ashberry designs

The Home department expanded, offering an even wider range of items including furniture, table and glassware, made-to-measure curtains and fabrics, wallpaper, lighting and home accessories.

The stainless steel range was launched, helping homeware sales increase by 8.4%.

In the September issue of our On Your Marks staff magazine we reported that ‘impact zones, dramatic lighting, state-of-the art display equipment and customer work stations are all conspiring to bring a fresh new concept to home furnishings department.’

A new look was unveiled for the Home Catalogue. It presented ‘three new inspirational lifestyle looks for the home’. These included Simply Elegant, Modern Living and Country Comfort.

‘Get the Look’ pages showed how to recreate the styles, offering complete room solutions for living and sleeping.

In 2010 we sold towels made from 100% Supima cotton, making them luxuriously soft and thick.

Only 1% of the world’s cotton supply carried this high-quality label.

We launched Loft – a range of ‘Stylish designs for modern living, from compact sofas and armchairs to contemporary crockery and lighting’ created to work well in smaller spaces.

We launched M&S Chef, a stylish collection with brass and marble accents. The 40-piece range was tested by M&S in-house chefs and created to a professional standard.

To ensure the highest quality, development was carried out above the normal British testing standards. The pans in the range were given the most durable non-stick coating on the market and handles that would not weaken even when exposed to extreme temperature.

We introduced our Supremely Washable Coverless duvet, a printed duvet with its own integrated microfibre cover.

Designed for convenience, it can be popped in the washing machine and dried in a single day –genius!

Sleep Shop arrived, a dedicated space both in-store and online, aimed at helping customers get a good nights’ sleep. We teamed up with singer and presenter Frankie Bridge and sleep and meditation app ‘Calm’ to develop the Sleep Shop.

The range included everything from mattresses to bedding, even scented sleep sprays and pyjamas. Our innovative Comfortably Cool bedding made from a luxuriously smooth and breathable Tencel™blend fabric with an easy-iron finish was a key range.

We launched guest brands across M&S, by 2022 we had introduced home brands like Denby, Joseph Joseph and Laura Ashley to our homeware offering.